The Fountain of Youth & Your Hormones

Everyone has heard of the mythical “Fountain of Youth”, but very few realize that it actually does exist. And even fewer realize that it exists inside every one of us. Yes, it’s there right
within you, just waiting to be activated !!

Juan Ponce de Leon, the Spanish explorer sailed around the Florida coast in search of the legendary “Fountain of Youth” …..the secret to being young again forever. That was five hundred years ago, more or less. Since then modern day ‘explorers’, in the form of researchers, have been continuing the quest for the secrets to attain eternal youth

These researchers have discovered that at the core of the fountain of youth is the body’s hormonal or neuro endocrine system, the collective name assigned to the glands and organs that manufacture hormones within our bodies.

Aging is a process that happens to all of us. Usually around thirty to thirty-five years of age, we begin to notice the first telltale signs of aging, the strands of gray hair, the deepening of expression lines (the pre-cursor to wrinkles), the slight sagging of facial features, the gradual loss of skin elasticity as collagen formation declines. As the years roll by, this aging process continues inexorably - stiffer joints, dimmer vision, loss of taste buds, gray hair, less libido!

As we see the same thing happening to our friends and family we accept it as natural and inevitable. We start to accept our declining faculties as being nature’s way, and start thinking of
oourselves as old.The change in mental perspective further accelerates the process. And, as we look in the mirror, year after year, we gradually begin to look, feel and act progressively older, our mindset reflecting our mirror image.

Today, technology and medical advances have made it possible to live much longer, leading to an aging of the population - there are many more ’seniors’ in our society than ever before. In fact, average longevity has gone up all over the world since the beginning of the 20th century. In the U.S longevity has increased by as much as 25 years.

However, regrettably, the factor that has not changed is the number of years one has to live with age-related disability. It is still an average of ten years for most of us. Can we minimize, or eliminate completely this period of decrepitude from our lives? There is no question that each one of us, man and woman, would like to live our sixties, seventies and eighties with looks, health and vitality intact. Nor do we like the idea of losing any of our faculties or senses.

The fountain of youth was seen to be the answer, making it a life or death (literally) quest since time immemorial…..Juan Ponce de Leon et al….and it remains as important today. People stop at nothing in their attempts to combat aging, and to drink from the fountain of youth. So much so, that it has become somewhat of a chimera. There are diets designed to combat and reverse aging, cardio-vascular exercises do the same, the brain is kept young by ‘challenging’ it, viagra promises peak sexual performance, HRT promises relief from pre and post menopausal
problems, cosmetic companies produce moisturizers and creams to build collagen,….one can go on and on!!!

In varying degrees, they all work! But think about HOW they work!

Diets and cardio-vascular exercises work by regulating the body’s consumption of energy. Known as metabolism, it is a complex interaction of chemical conversions that take place
continually in order to generate energy and keep the body at optimum level. Control of the entire process lies in the hormonal (neuroendocrine) system.

The challenge element perks up secretions of the hormone adrenaline…the body’s age-old response to any form of stress or threat is production of higher doses. The skin is kept hydrated by secretions of oil and sweat-producing hormones, and the entire process of sexuality and reproduction is hormone-induced, and starts from the hormonal (neuroendocrine) system.

And so, through course of diets, exercises, creams and supplements you manage to keep your body and mind in peak condition. What happens when you get a bout of the ‘flu’? Without the help of the thymus and your immune system your body may just pack it in !!

The hormonal system has a finger in every pie! Does the concept seem rather esoteric? Do you think I am overplaying the role of the endocrine glands?

Consider the facts. Sift through reports on the most current research going on in this field.

Much of the anti-aging experimentation being conducted in various laboratories around the world, is connected with ingestion of hormonal supplements. HGH (human growth hormone)
and DHEA, both popular experimental therapies being used at present, are nothing but hormones. And without a doubt they produce benefits, even though it is probably too early to
determine if they produce any their attendant side effects.

Then again there is much research connected to the use of release factors or ‘releasers’, whereby, instead of ingesting supplements, one would ingest releasers, which would activate the glands into releasing hormones. Such experiments are still at an early stage, and not much is known about the attendant side effects, if any.

In fact, this very principle of hormonal flow seems to have been known to the Himalayan people in ancient times, and forms the basis of the Tibetan yoga rejuvenation and anti aging technique.

They seem to have way ahead of us in their knowledge. They knew, 4000 years ago, how to push the button that would cause the body to produce its own natural releasers, rather than rely on artificial synthetic ones. This, then, is the knowledge made public by the Tibetan rejuvenation yoga technique.

Jay Chatterjee, a Chartered Accountant and ex-Corporate Banker,
lives in Canada.?Roshmi Raychaudhuri is a business-woman living
in India. Their eclectic health newsletter “To Your Health, Letter”,
reflects their passionate interest in natural health therapies and
carries the latest natural health information. While visiting the
Himalayan foothills they came across an ancient anti aging yoga,
a rejuvenation system based on stimulation of the hormonal glands,
and started their website to share this knowledge and provide
practical and incisive anti aging and health information.
Subscribe to their F.ree 6-part Anti aging & Health Course,
“The Road Map to the Fountain of Youth”, at:
http://www.youngagainforever.com/1.html

Yoga: A Fountain of Youth - REALLY!

Yoga works. It has been clinically shown to lower blood pressure, increase circulation, build muscle tissue, increase flexibility, relieve stress and stress-related symptoms, and strengthen the respiratory system. Other benefits include relief from symptoms of menopause, counteracting osteoporosis, cleansing of internal organs, energizing the nervous system, balancing out the digestive system and relief from headaches and lower back pain. As a spiritual practice, yoga can be a pathway to greater enlightenment. It benefits the body, mind and soul, and the choice to enjoy those benefits is yours.

Choosing to live a full and active life, and to live it comfortably in your body means taking responsibility for your present physical condition, no matter what it may be. Taking good care of yourself deserves a pat on the back, as well as enjoying the benefits of being stronger and healthier. If you know deep down inside that your physical condition leaves something to be desired, what are you willing to do about it?

As we age, we come to realize that “staying in neutral” regarding our health and vitality is not an option anymore. The days when we could demand that our bodies ski, party or hike ten miles without rebellion and next day repercussions are gone. There is no “neutral” anymore. Its not a matter of “do I feel like exercising,” its that everyday we make a choice to become less fit or more fit.

What is your choice in creating the life you want? Are you willing to listen to the messages your body sends you and can you make a commitment to respond to yourself with compassion, love and respect? Health and fitness is a choice. Aging does not automatically mean weakness, pain and degeneration. How do you want to feel? How can you live life to the fullest if you’re dealing with discomfort or pain? Through yoga you can tune in to your body and create a life of strength, vitality, flexibility, and relaxation. You can choose to live a more dynamic and inner-directed life.

For 5000 years, yoga has been a path to health and living consciously in these bodies we inhabit. Here, in the West, we’re just discovering what has been known in India for thousands of years ? that yoga is a personal “fountain of youth.” Through yoga, we can increase our physical vitality, mental clarity, and heighten our spiritual awareness, regardless of our age or physical condition.

Would you enjoy your body serving you more comfortably and with greater strength? Have you heard your body talk to you lately? Yoga is a training in listening to our bodies. By tuning in through awareness of our breath, through conscious movement in the poses and in the transitions between the poses, we can receive an amazing amount of information from our bodies.

The stuck places, the places where energy is blocked, cause us discomfort in order to get our attention. What is that “stuck place” in your body trying to tell you? Yoga helps you tune in and focus your mind on the area of discomfort or contraction. You can mentally go inside it, breathe into the area, expand it with your breath, then relax, open your mind and ask your body what the stuck area is trying to tell you. Be open to the message. When you receive and accept the message is when the healing begins, and your body will tell you that too. The discomfort will begin to melt away, the blockage will open up and you’ll feel free!

I teach a gentle, yet very effective beginning yoga program especially designed for seniors I have been amazed at how quickly so many seniors, even those who have never done any exercise before, have positive results from just two hours of yoga a week. “Yoga for the Young at Heart” is a soothing and healing practice. It creates a format for you to tune in to your body and consciously, with great respect for inevitable limitations, build strength, stamina, flexibility and vitality.

It’s from this place of living life to the fullest, of respecting and nurturing ourselves, that we become relaxed and comfortable. When we are whole and at peace, that’s when our true potential can be expressed. That’s when we create peace within, in our relationships and in all the corners of our world.

We are incredible, powerful spirits having a physical experience. The quality of that experience is in our hands.

Have you heard this before? “You are responsible for your experience!”

Ancient yogis in India took that to an extreme. Imagine choosing to sit naked in the snow and creating such energy within your body that, not only would you not be cold, but steam would rise off your body from the heat you generated!

We choose our experiences, too. Are you “sitting in the snow” in some area of your life? Do you choose to sit there and shiver and moan about how cold you are? OR do you choose to gather your energy, your internal fire and radiate such joy and love around you that you transform your experience and that of everyone around you?

That is the yoga of life, and it begins right here, with your personal yoga practice. Carl Sagan asked, “Why are we here?” I think I’ve discovered why we’re here! To remember why we’re here! Why are you here?

I believe we’re here to grow into our most healthy, creative, and joyful selves, and to create peace and harmony in our corners of the world.

Susan Winter Ward, internationally recognized yoga instructor, author, and video producer, is the creator of Yoga for the Young at Heart?, a multimedia publisher which publishes an informative and inspiring collection of CDRoms, videos, audio tapes, books and television programs, as well as exciting vacation retreats. Her product line is available at: Yoga for the Young at Heart